Pirate spiders

Family Mimetidae

Only one genus is present in this family.

Genus Ero

Ero is the only genus found in middle Europe and four species
are known.
This attractive spider is very small; the size varies between 2.5 and 4
mm.
The legs usually have clear rings of pigment and the last two segments of
their first forelegs are armed with a series of long alternated short spines.
This is a spider killer as her name suggests in German; Spinnenfresser (spider
eater). She seeks out other webs and plucks the threads of the web with
her legs to attract the prey. After a quick attack and lethal bite, with
a quickly paralyzing venom, she sucks the victim dry through a hole in the
legs of the victim.
Her eggs are laid in a cocoon surrounded with a wiry silk and are left to
hatch on their own. Every female makes 2 -3 sacs. The sacs can be seen in
late summer far more often than the spider itself.

The pictures below were kindly provided by Alois Scheuwimmer,Perg,
Österreich